BUZZ COLLINS

HYPNOTIST MENTALIST

By buzzcollins79111660, Dec 21 2016 09:29PM

Well, I finally have a moment to reflect on what was my busiest corporate Xmas season ever.

Almost half the gigs were mentalism shows, the other half, of course, were hypno. Some shows were for repeat clients while others took me to places I had never been (ie. Manitoulin Island.)

Each year I have at least one moment that stands out as more memorable than the rest. This year, it had to be the one during the show in Oshawa for a property management company. I had a hypnotized individual doing his best to perform CPR on a skunk that had been "accidentally run over". Behind me, I hear a female voice frantically singing "Ah, ah, ah, ah, stayin alive, stayin alive!" I turn around to see a young lady with tears literally streaming down her cheeks as she's trying her best to sing the song that is supposed to provide the perfect beats-per-minute for CPR. Priceless. Fortunately, the skunk was resuscitated and all ended well.

My least favorite moment of this past season was watching a volunteer destroy one of my handmade props used in my mentalism show. Alcohol can sometimes be the catalyst for unpleasant moments in any live performance.

Taking some time to rest and enjoy the holiday. Some exciting announcements to come!

By buzzcollins79111660, Oct 28 2016 03:50PM

The title of this post was one of the slogans I've used over the years. Of course it was meant to imply that, as one of the stars on my stage, you could wind up being almost anyone (or any thing) in the show. This is just a reminder that in real life, with or without hypnosis, there is no reason you still can't be whoever you want to be! :)

By buzzcollins79111660, Oct 9 2016 09:46PM

It’s Thanksgiving in Canada. We celebrate it here very similarly to how it’s celebrated in the U.S., other than the date. We gather with family and loved ones to tear into more food than necessary and then vegetate on the couch to watch a game of something on TV.

Of course, the backdrop to our Thanksgiving is the changing colours of the season while for Americans, it’s the unofficial kickoff to the Christmas shopping season complete with parades sponsored by major department stores. We don’t have a “Black Friday” per se, but we make up for it with “Boxing Day Blow-outs” the day after Christmas.

As an American who has resided in Canada most of my life, I’m not sure if there’s a Thanksgiving that’s better than the other (Canada vs US), but I will say this, I am thankful that I live in one of the greatest countries in the world. Despite our problems, we are a truly blessed nation and I still feel the greatest lottery I ever won was being adopted by Canadian parents. I certainly don’t take it for granted; especially when considering the current state of the world.

It’s with that sentiment that I wish all my Canadian friends and family a very happy Thanksgiving. Leave room for pie.

By buzzcollins79111660, Sep 16 2016 03:25PM

I’m still a little bleary-eyed this morning as I recount last night’s bizarre "Cheap Tricks" competition I was part of as I didn’t get back from Toronto until 2am. However, it was certainly worth the drive.

Here’s the basic concept. Up until 2 hours before show time, you have no idea what you’re going to perform. Eight contestants, draw three envelopes each. One of those envelopes contains your shopping budget (anywhere from 5 to 25 dollars). The second reveals where you have to spend that budget. The third envelope contained a “handicap” of sorts. For one it was having to perform entirely without saying a word. Another had to do their show as an angry magician, another; as a kiddie performer, etc.

Things were looking pretty good for me. I drew a $20 budget and I ended up with a free choice of wherever I wanted to shop. However, whatever I performed had to include Heinz ketchup in the act. Yes…ketchup.

How in the world, does a mentalist involve ketchup in his performance? I’ll tell you in just a moment. But first I have to share how I went about getting the ketchup (one of my favorite moments from last night). I simply went into the Tim Hortons next door to the venue and, knowing that it was unlikely that they would hand out anything for free without making an order, I asked for a small coffee. When they asked what I wanted in it, I simply said “ketchup…but I’ll take it on the side”. The look on the server’s face was priceless. Anyway, from there I hoofed it off to a Dollarama, about 15 minutes away, got the rest of my materials and headed back to the venue to prepare my routine.

For my set, I brought 5 volunteers onto the stage and explained that they were going to take part in the “Rorshach Ketchup Test”. It’s not as well know as the Rorshach Ink Blot Test, but it’s still very psychologically revealing. I had each volunteer paint a picture with their ketchup, insert it into a large envelope, which in turn were shuffled so I had no idea which volunteer had done which piece. I then proceeded to open the envelopes in random order, did a quick psychological analysis of the person based on their ketchup painting and then identified which person painted it.

In the end, I did not win the coveted “Cheap Tricks” trophy, but it didn’t matter. I had so much fun performing, watching others perform and, of course, just the camaraderie of hanging out with like-minded mentalism and magic geeks. A big shout out goes to Chris “Mysterion The Mindreader” for organizing this event. He and his performing partner Steffi K did an amazing job themselves as hosts as well as providing their own moments of mind-blowing mind-reading fun!

Tonight it's back to the real world as a corporate entertainer, but who knows, maybe tonight's show will include a little ketchup!